Facing Your Fears
by Scoobyfan1
Summary: A little oneshot set during the Scooby Doo Where Are You episode Bedlam in the Big Top. Velma has always been afraid of clowns ever since she was little, but what happens when she gets help to conquer those fears from an unexpected source? Pairing: Shaggy/Velma
1. Chapter 1

Author's Notes: Scooby Doo and all related characters and trademarks are copyright 2010 Hanna-Barbera Productions/Warner Brothers/Cartoon Network; as always I do not plan on making any money off of this story, I am just a fan.

Chapter 1

**Hello to all my fans and readers, thank you for all your support since I started writing Fan Fiction and thank you for reviewing all my stories, I read all your reviews and I greatly appreciate them.**

**This is one of several one shot ideas for Fan Fics that I came up with, I hope everyone enjoys them; the idea for this story came to me actually a couple days ago, it takes place during the **_**Scooby Doo Where Are You?**_** Episode Bedlam in the Big Top; basically I got to thinking that in later years it's revealed that Velma has a fear of clowns, however in the aforementioned episode the villain is the Ghost Clown, but Velma is not afraid of him, this is my idea of why she was not afraid of him and how she conquered her fears.**

**The story basically picks up after Mr. Barnstorm talked to the gang, only it's a little different from the original TV episode, but I think everybody will still like it.**

It all started fairly simply for the group of four high school students and their Great Dane Scooby Doo, the four youngsters named Fred Jones, Velma Dinkley, Daphne Blake and Norville "Shaggy" Rogers along with their pet and mascot were traveling down the road in their psychedelically painted van the Mystery Machine.

So far the four amateur sleuths and their canine, unofficially known as Mystery Inc. had solved a few cases around their hometown, all involving crooks who would dress up in scary costumes and would pull all sorts of Halloween hocus pocus to try and scare people away from whatever asset or treasure the villain would try and steal.

Being high school students with classes during the week, along with social lives and other activities, such as cheerleading for various sports teams at the school for Daphne and Velma (who was dragged by the red headed member of the group into trying out for), Football for Fred, and Gymnastics and Track for Shaggy, mystery solving was low on the group's totem pole as far as activities were concerned.

However, seeing as how the members of the group were fairly independent for high school students and their parents didn't mind them solving mysteries that much, only after their studying, practices and chores were done, the four teenagers and their Great Dane were always glad to solve a case for anyone, involving anything for that matter.

Of course being teenagers, they never got paid for any cases they solved, considering they weren't professionals; however, many of the state's law enforcement agencies had learned of the group's prowess for solving crimes and were always willing to cooperate and assist the amateur sleuths whenever possible.

Most of Mystery Inc.'s cases had to be worked around their schedule of high school activities, that is to say most of the mysteries Scooby Doo and his friends had stumbled on so far were weekends, during the evening hours after the teens had completed their scheduled activities, and on holidays like Halloween, which was one of the group's favorites as they enjoyed dressing up in costumes and attending the school's or community's activities.

Coincidentally one of the times the gang liked to travel is how they were driving down a seemingly deserted stretch of road when the occupants of the Mystery Machine noticed two men on a broken bicycle going in opposite directions down the road; after a crash, one of the men was knocked to the ground while the other was flung into a tree, thinking quickly Scooby Doo stood underneath the tree and as the man's grasp was slipping he fell right onto the Great Dane's back.

After the two men brushed themselves off and thanked the gang, they explained to the curious teenagers and their canine that they were Samson the Strong Man and Max the Midget, two employees of a nearby circus, who had quit said attraction; the two men then explained to the gang that the circus was jinxed and warned the group to leave the area as soon as possible.

Curiosity getting the better of the group, they decided to travel to the circus grounds and spoke with the ringmaster of the circus, a man named Mr. Barnstorm, who was upset to hear that Max and Samson had quit; he then proceeded to tell the gang that without the two men whom they had met earlier, his circus would be unable to open for the year.

Fred, the unofficial leader of the group then asked Mr. Barnstorm about something that Samson and Max had said about a jinx at the circus, the ringmaster then obliged Fred by explaining that the circus was haunted by a ghost clown, and while he had been lurking about, mysterious things began happening at the circus, like trapeze wires coming undone and lions acting like scared pussycats.

As Fred, Daphne, Velma. Shaggy and Scooby Doo sit and speak with Mr. Barnstorm, their curiosity continues to become piqued and they begin asking the ringmaster other questions about the circus, such as about other employees and what motive someone could have to close a circus, finally Fred makes a decision and informs the ringmaster of his intentions.

"Mr. Barnstorm, my friends and I don't want your circus to close, in fact we would like to offer our services to you, if that's all right" Fred remarked.

"What kind of services?" Mr. Barnstorm asked.

"Well sir, we happen to be amateur sleuths who specialize in the supernatural and I think this case might be right up our alley" Daphne replied.

"I don't know kids, that Ghost Clown could be dangerous and I wouldn't want any of you to get hurt" Mr. Barnstorm said, sounding quite concerned for the group's safety.

"Don't worry Mr. Barnstorm, we're very good at taking care of ourselves and we think we can solve this case for you" Velma replied.

"Hmm… well, no one else has offered to investigate these occurrences, and the police haven't been much help, although I'm still unsure about this" Mr. Barnstorm remarked, looking as if he was deep in thought.

"Like don't worry Mr. Barnstorm, Scooby and I are pretty fast, so we can outrun that creepy clown in case her tries to capture us" Shaggy replied.

"Reah, re ron't ratch us" Scooby added.

"Well, if you kids and your dog insist, then I have no problems with you investigating the grounds and trying to solve the mystery" Mr. Barnstorm relented.

"Thank you Mr. Barnstorm, you won't regret this and don't worry, we'll stop this Ghost Clown before he wreaks anymore havoc" Fred said as he stood up and shook the ringmaster's hand.

"I certainly hope so, now I have some things I need to get done, so you five can go ahead and start your search" Mr. Barnstorm said as he began walking away towards the exit of the tent.

"Don't worry Mr. Barnstorm, we'll catch this Ghost Clown for you, believe us when we say that your circus will open this year on time" Fred called as the ringmaster left the tent.

"Well, like there he goes" Shaggy remarked.

"Right, and now it's time for us to get started on solving this mystery" Fred replied.

"L-like I w-wonder what this Ghost Clown looks like and what he's capable of?" Shaggy asked nervously.

"Well the only way to find that out is to look for clues: Daphne, you and I will search the Animal tent, the Costume tent and the other areas that we might find something, while Velma, you, Shaggy and Scooby check the big top, if there's any clues or if you see the Ghost, don't let him out of your sight, okay?" Fred explained.

"Right, come on guys" Velma said as she, Shaggy and Scooby began searching the big top, while Fred and Daphne headed out of the tent towards the costume and animal areas.

"Zoinks, like this tent is huge, how are we ever going to find any clues?" Shaggy inquired.

"Simple Shaggy, we split up: you and Scooby take one side, and I'll take the other" Velma replied.

"Like are you sure Velma? What if something happens to you?" Shaggy asked nervously, knowing that he would never forgive himself if something happened to Velma, considering the two were dating.

"Don't worry Shaggy, I'll be fine and I can take care of myself" Velma said as she gave Shaggy a quick kiss on the cheek.

"Like I hope so Velma, I really hope so" Shaggy replied with a smile on his face; with that Shaggy and Scooby went in one direction to search the tent, while Velma began walking in the other direction to begin her search.

"Rhaggy, rou really rove her ron't rou?" Scooby inquired.

"Like of course I do Scooby, she's smart, she's pretty, her eyes are beautiful, and she's wonderful; by the way, are you sure you're okay with us dating Scooby?" Shaggy asked.

"Rof rourse Rhaggy, ri rnow rhat reople rike to rate rand reople rike raving royfriends and rirlfriends, rust rike rogs rometimes rall in rove" Scooby replied.

"Somehow I thought you would say that, now come on let's look for that Ghost Clown" Shaggy remarked as he and the cowardly Great Dane headed of in search of the gang's latest foe.

Meanwhile on the other side of the tent Velma was searching for any sign of the spectral clown that had been making so much mischief at Mr. Barnstorm's circus, but had been unsuccessful, at least for the moment; however, as she searched along the back of the tent among the lion cages, Velma was unaware that she was about to receive a visit from the villainous clown himself, who was plotting to make the young woman a part of the circus.

As she examined one of the cages for any signs of worn or broken metal, or anything that might give her a clue, she heard a faint rustling sound, which sounded to her like someone besides her was in the tent so she turned around to try and figure out what it was; at first she thought it was Shaggy and Scooby, but she knew they were searching on the other side of the tent, so she shrugged it off as nothing and turned back around to search the cages.

However after she turned around, she was unaware that someone wearing a red clown's outfit, complete with hat, nose and makeup was slowly approaching her from behind; the figure walked stealthily, almost silently up to behind Velma, or he would have been silent of it weren't for the fact that his shoes rustled the straw that was on the ground of this area of the tent.

Once Velma heard this sound, her instincts told her to immediately turn and see who was in the tent with her, which she did, although as she turned around she could now see that she was face to face with the Ghost Clown, which made her quite nervous, even though she was one of the bravest members of the team of high school aged sleuths

The bespectacled young woman stood in fear of the man with the clown makeup on his face and was speechless on what to say to the man, although for a moment she thought about screaming for someone to come help her, but that was a moot point because before she could let out a sound, the man's gloved hand was clamped over the young woman's mouth, which frightened her to no end.

"I'm sorry I had to do that miss, but I don't want to let anyone know that I'm here; now I'm going to take my hand away from your mouth and then you can speak to me, okay?" the man asked; Velma then nodded and the man relented, taking his hand away from her mouth.

"Why d-did you d-do that?" Velma asked nervously, now being able to speak again.

"Like I told you miss, I don't want anyone to know I'm here" the man replied.

"Well that's going to be difficult considering you're, you're the ghost c-clown" Velma said, her hands shaking as she spoke.

"Yes, I am the ghost clown; and I have my reasons for being here, which I cannot divulge to you, miss… what is your name by the way?" the ghost clown asked.

"I-it's Velma" the young woman replied.

"Velma, that's a very nice name" the ghost clown remarked.

"T-thank you" Velma replied, still nervous as she spoke.

"Tell me Velma, you look a bit nervous and your hands seem a bit shaky; you seem to be nervous about something, would you mind if I asked what it is?" the ghost clown inquired.

"Well, it is kind of unusual for a ghost to ask me what's the matter but all right; it's just t-that, well I'm kind of afraid of clowns, I have a phobia of them" Velma replied.

"Afraid of clowns? But Velma my dear, why would you be afraid of clowns? Clowns are fun and lovable, why would you be afraid of something like that?" the ghost clown inquired.

"I just am, a lot of people are afraid of clowns and I'm no different" Velma replied, fighting the urge to scream in front of the ghost clown.

"Well, maybe you can tell me why you're afraid of clowns, and then maybe I can help you" the ghost clown stated.

"I doubt that, but I g-guess I can tell you; there were two moments in my life, both when I was a little girl that made me afraid of clowns, one was when I was 8, I went to a friend's birthday party and there was a clown there; after he got done performing, he went through the backyard to leave, there was a pool in the backyard and he slipped on the water and fell in, everybody ran to try and help him but it was too late, he drowned right in my friend's pool" Velma explained, her nerves still shaking as she spoke.

"Oh dear, that must have been very traumatic for you Velma, now what was the other occurrence?" the ghost clown asked.

"The other was when I was 11, I had gotten a new encyclopedia set for my birthday, I was so excited because I love books; but my mom got a clown to entertain at my birthday party, and he used a paper shredder as a prop, I guess you can tell what happened then" Velma replied.

"Oh, I see; well, that's in the past my dear, you shouldn't be afraid of something that happened in the past, you should like clowns because they are a lot of fun and entertaining, plus they're lovable, enjoyable and they put smiles on lots of little children's faces" the Ghost Clown explained.

"Well maybe they do, but not me; now if you don't mind, I'm going to tell my friends about you and they will come and find you" Velma replied.

"I really wish that you wouldn't do that just yet, because from what you just told me, I might be able to help you my dear" the Ghost Clown remarked.

"Help me? How can you possibly help me?" Velma asked.

"I'm glad you asked, you see I have something that might be able to alleviate your problem, or get rid of it for good; would you like to see it?" the ghost clown inquired.

"I suppose so, just don't try anything" Velma replied.

"Don't worry, I wouldn't dream of trying anything" the Ghost Clown remarked; the strange man then retrieved a small golden coin hanging from a string, as he brought it out to show Velma, the bespectacled young woman was a bit entranced by the strange object, so she decided to ask the man about it.

"What exactly is that anyway?" Velma inquired.

"This? Well, you see this is a gold coin; it's unlike any other in the world, because with it I can hypnotize anyone I choose, I can make anyone do anything that I want, anytime I want" the Ghost Clown replied.

"Wow, I might have to try something like that on my boyfriend some time" Velma quipped.

"If you did, I wouldn't tell anyone; now, with this gold coin, I might be able to help you get over your fear of clowns, but you must do something for me" the Ghost Clown replied.

"That depends, what is it?" Velma questioned.

"If I were to use this gold coin on you, when the trance is broken, you must not tell anyone, not even your friends that I talked to you, because if you were to tell anyone about our conversation, I would get in a lot of trouble" the Ghost Clown explained.

"Hmm… well, it would be nice to not have a fear of clowns any more, and it would be nice to alleviate some of my other fears as well, so I suppose I could let you use the coin on me and hypnotize me" Velma replied.

"Good, good; now, you don't mind being in a trance correct?" the Ghost Clown asked.

"Well, if it's part of being hypnotized, then no I don't" Velma replied.

"Wonderful, and yes being in a trance would be part of the hypnotism; also, there is something else I might be able to do for you" the Ghost Clown remarked.

"Besides hypnotizing me and getting rid of my fear of clowns, what else could you do?" Velma asked.

"Well, you strike me as a young woman who wants to be the center of attention, you want to have all the credit for figuring out something complicated, but no one pays attention to you, am I right?" the Ghost Clown explained.

"My friends do give me a lot of attention, and they do listen to me when I'm explaining something; although Shaggy, my boyfriend is another story, I mean he likes me but he pays a lot of attention to Scooby Doo as well, that's his Great Dane and our group mascot" Velma replied.

"Oh yes, I do remember hearing that you and your friends were amateur sleuths when you were talking to the ringmaster earlier" the Ghost Clown remarked.

"How did you? Wait, you were listening in on our conversation weren't you?' Velma asked, with a shocked tone in her voice.

"Yes, I was, but it was only because I wanted to know if I could trust you; you seemed to be responsible, so that's why I looked for you; now would you like to know what else I can do for you or not?" the Ghost Clown stated, sounding quite annoyed with the young woman.

"Oh very well, go ahead and tell me what else you can offer; before I call my friends and Mr. Barnstorm here and I tell them what's going on" Velma replied, folding her arms in annoyance.

"Good, I'm glad you decided to listen to me; now, as I mentioned before you seem like a young lady who wants to be the center of attention, you want to be a leader, not a follower, am I right?" the Ghost Clown clarified.

"I'm listening, and I'm curious as to what you're talking about sir" Velma replied.

"Fine, now what would you say if I could provide you with an opportunity to be the center of attention, in addition to be cured of your clown phobia" the Ghost Clown replied.

"That depends on what you mean by the center of attention" Velma remarked.

"Very simple, all I would like to do is use my gold coin on you, which will hypnotize you and put you in a trance, then I will give you hypnotic suggestions which will tell you to be unafraid of clowns anymore, in addition I will use my coin to make you the star of the entire circus, all the eyes of the big top will be on you including Shaggy's" the Ghost Clown replied.

"Now that sounds wonderful, his gaze would be locked on me no matter what; and I would be the only thing he would be watching, well except for food of course" Velma said dreamily.

"Ah, I take it the idea strikes your fancy, does it not?" the Ghost Clown asked.

"Yes it does, now how would I be the star of the circus and how would it make me the center of attention?" Velma responded with a question of her own.

"Well, as you may or may not know, in any circus the star of the show and the person who gets the most attention is the ringmaster; now, what would you say if I were to make you the ringmaster of this very circus, would that make you happy?" the Ghost Clown asked.

"Hmm… being a ringmaster and being cured of my Clown Phobia…" Velma replied, as she began thinking to herself.

"So, what do you think my dear? Do we have a deal?" the Ghost Clown asked.

"Well, I've been hoping to get rid of my phobia and I would love to be the center of attention, so… okay, I'll do it" Velma replied.

"So we have ourselves a deal?" the Ghost Clown asked.

"Yes, we have a deal" Velma replied as she reached over to shake the Ghost Clown's hand; the young woman smiled as she prepared to be put under a trance by the strange man, who held up the shining gold coin to her face.

The Ghost Clown then prepared to speak once again, informing Velma of what she needed to fulfill her end of the bargain with the mysterious villain; the strange ghost clown smiled as he prepared to give Velma her hypnotic instructions, hoping that she would listen to them to the letter.

"Now my dear, watch the pretty going of gold, and you will do as you are told; you were afraid of clowns for a long time, but that will no longer happen in your mind, when you see a clown you will chuckle, because clowns are friendly, fun and wonderful for everyone" the Ghost Clown said, while as soon as the Ghost started his suggestion, the young woman's eyes were unmoving and unblinking as she listened intently to his words.

"I understand, I will no longer be afraid of clowns" Velma replied in a trance like voice.

"Good, and now for the second portion of my hypnotic suggestion; now watch the pretty coin of gold, and you will once again do as you are told, you are a star and that's a fact, the center of attention is where you will be at, so with these words I do beckon, I hereby proclaim you the ringmaster for many a second" the Ghost Clown said as the young woman's eyes remained unmoving and unblinking, in fact at that moment it looked as if a strange sparkle or glow twinkled in front of her eyes, keeping her under the ghost clown's power.

"Now my dear, let's prepare you for your debut as a ringmaster" the ghost clown remarked as he led the young woman away, with her eyes still unblinking and unmoving all the while.

Meanwhile Shaggy and Scooby were continuing their search in the middle of the big top, the two of them looked over everything in the tent including all manner of animal cages, props and other miscellaneous circus items, but didn't find a single thing, so the cowardly pair walked over to a wooden platform and sat down to rest for a few minutes.

"Like I don't get it Scoob, we haven't found a single thing so far; there's no sign of the Ghost Clown anywhere in the Big Top, it's almost as if he's trying really hard to stay hidden" Shaggy remarked.

"Reah Rhaggy, raybe re roesn't rant us ro rind rhim" Scooby replied.

"Maybe Scooby, maybe; but we have to keep looking for him, I mean he has to be somewhere on the grounds right?" Shaggy inquired.

"Right Rhaggy" Scooby replied.

"Like that's the spirit, come on Scoob let's keep looking for that creepy clown" Shaggy said; the cowardly teenager and the chicken hearted Great Dane then got up from the wooden platform and were just about to resume their search when they noticed that some of the house lights in the Big Top were beginning to turn on.

"Rhaggy, rook!" Scooby exclaimed as he pointed skyward; sure enough as Shaggy looked towards where Scooby was motioning, they both noticed that the house lights were brightening and that they were forming what seemed to be a spotlight.

However the two of them were quite perplexed as they watched the lights dance across the tent, to them it looked the spotlights were signifying that there was going to be a performance of one of the members of the circus, or at least that's what it appeared to be, if it weren't for the fact that Mr. Barnstorm informed them that all the performers of the circus had quit because of the jinx, and the Ghost Clown.

The spotlights then lowered towards the floor of the tent and the center ring, where there seemed to be someone standing in the shadows; as Shaggy and Scooby stood and watched this occurrence take place, they were clearly confused, while trying to figure out who this mysterious person was and what they were doing in the tent; at first Shaggy and Scooby figured this was the Ghost Clown himself, but they were surprised and stunned when the person stepped out from the shadows into the light.

The specific reason why Shaggy and Scooby were surprised was that the person who stood in the center ring was wearing a dark red top hat, a dark orange ringmaster's vest and uniform as well as dark red ringmaster's pants; as soon as the person stepped out into the light Shaggy exclaimed in shock, as he and the Great Dane instantly recognized the individual, who for some unexplainable reason looked like a circus ringmaster, when she was clearly not one at all.

"Zoinks! I-it's Velma!" Shaggy declared.

Author's Notes: I thought about making this a one chapter story, but once I got started things kind of got away from me, so I decided to make this a two chapter story; hopefully everyone likes it and also this second chapter might be a bit shorter then the first, but I still hope that people will read this and review it as usual.


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2

Inside the Big Top tent of a circus run by a man named Mr. Barnstorm, who doubled as the circus's ringmaster, a teenage sleuth named Shaggy Rogers along with his Great Dane Scooby Doo watch as one of their friends, a young woman named Velma Dinkley dressed in a ringmaster's uniform stands in the center ring of the tent not realizing that Shaggy and Scooby are watching her perform.

As the spotlight shines on her, the young woman bows and waves to a non existent crowd, other then Shaggy and Scooby Doo of course; while the young woman is under a trance, she seems to be right at home at the circus and seems as if she was meant to be a ringmaster all her life; however Shaggy and Scooby are not amused as they attempt to figure out why their friend is wearing such strange clothing.

"L-like I don't believe it! Scooby, that ringmaster is Velma!" Shaggy exclaimed.

"Relma? Ri ron't ret it Rhaggy, row rome Relma ris ressed in a ringraster's runiform?" Scooby inquired.

"Like I'm not sure Scooby, but come on we've got to save her before something happens to her" Shaggy said, hoping that nothing serious happened to Velma before the two of them could save her from whatever fate she was about to get herself into.

While the perpetually hungry and perpetually cowardly teenager and his Great Dane knew that they had to rescue Velma, there was something that the green shirted high school student didn't think of; in this case he notices that while he can't understand why Velma is dressed the way she is, he can also tell that he can't take his eyes off her, almost as if in addition to her being under a trance, she has him in a trance as well.

"_Like what's going on here; I want Scooby and I to save Velma, but I, I don't quite want to do it yet, something about her in that ringmaster's uniform; I mean I know it's weird to say but Velma looks great as a ringmaster, I wonder…"_ Shaggy thought to himself, while his canine companion tried to break him out of his thoughts.

"Rhaggy, Rhaggy!" Scooby said, while taking hold of the teen's shoulders and trying to shake some sense into him.

"Like what is it Scooby?" Shaggy asked, still looking at Velma in the center ring.

"Re rave to rave Relma" Scooby replied.

"Huh? Oh yeah, like come on" Shaggy said, sounding somewhat dazed as he spoke.

With that Shaggy and Scooby Doo started towards the center ring, although while they walked towards their dark brown haired friend, they could hear what sounded like Circus music beginning to start playing through the loudspeakers and sound system inside the tent, which confused them quite a bit.

"Ah excellent, now miss Velma, you shall begin your ringmaster duties by announcing the attractions of the evening" the Ghost Clown said, while cranking a record player and hiding behind an animal cage about a few hundred feet away from Shaggy and Scooby; while the Ghost Clown was several hundred feet away from Velma, he was still able to control her thoughts because his gold coin was quite powerful and could be used to hypnotize anyone, even someone as intelligent as Velma.

"Ladies and gentleman, welcome to the Velma Dinkley circus of wonder, tonight you will see acrobats, animals, clowns and many other things that will make your time here a wonderful experience" Velma declared, although Shaggy and Scooby still weren't sure as to why she was acting and speaking like this.

"Like wow, you know Velma's not half bad as a ringmaster, and she looks great too; maybe I can go up to her and ask where she got the outfit and how she learned to do that" Shaggy remarked.

However, the Ghost Clown saw the cowardly pair standing up and watching Velma from his hiding position, he then realized that the young woman whom he had under a trance, might be broken out of it fairly soon, which distressed him quite a bit.

"Blast it! Those two are trying to break Miss Velma out of her trance, I must figure a way out to finish my trance before they break her out of it" the Ghost Clown said as he laughed menacingly under his breath.

Shaggy Rogers continued gazing in wonder at the beauty of his chestnut haired girlfriend, and the ringmaster outfit she was wearing, while Scooby Doo tried to get his master's mind off Velma's figure and on the fact that she needed to be rescued and soon.

"Rhaggy, Rhaggy!" the Great Dane said, tapping his master on the shoulder; however, Shaggy's gaze was so transfixed on the young woman, that he wasn't paying much attention to his canine companion, instead he was paying attention to Velma, who was about to speak once again.

While from his hiding spot, the Ghost Clown continued holding the gold coin aloft so that Velma could see it and that she continued to be her trance, while he was making sure he wasn't seen by the chicken hearted pair, or that they recognized him because if something were to happen to him, he could change his mind and break Velma out of her trance, which would leave her at the mercy of a hungry lion or worse.

"My power over you is quite complete, your strong mind is still weak, your ringmaster career will continue and you will introduce the lion tamer act" the Ghost Clown declared.

"Ladies and gentleman, in the right ring, please welcome our lion tamer" Velma said, as the spotlights moved over to the right portion of the tent, where there was usually a lion tamer, at least during the circus that is, only now there wasn't.

"Ah, you're doing quite well my dear, you've proven to be quite the fantastic ringmaster so far, but let's see how you do in announcer the flying stars" the Ghost Clown remarked.

"Now ladies, gentleman and children of all ages, if you will direct your eyes to the high wire, we have the one and only acrobatic act" Velma remarked, as the spotlights shown on the black wire, suspended hundreds of feet up, near the top of the tent.

"Good, good, now we must see how you do with the strongman act, and as the finale: a unicycle act, listen and listen well my dear, watch the pretty coin of gold and you shall do as you are told!" the Ghost Clown declared from his hiding spot.

"Ladies and gentleman please direct your attention to the middle of the ring where as you can see, we have Samson the Strongman and a young lady riding a unicycle; give them your applause and encouragement folks!" Velma explained, as the spotlight was fixed on the middle of the tent, right in front of Velma as a matter of fact.

"Good, very good Miss Velma, now it's time for your ringmaster career to come to an end, you will now make like any good ringmaster and exit the tent, and when you do, you will awaken from your trance, not remembering anything that has occurred tonight, however I wish to speak with you after you and your friends have solved the mystery, now make your exit to the right if you please" the Ghost Clown said as the house lights dimmed and Velma began walking out of the tent, which left Shaggy and Scooby with only one thing to do.

"Come on Scooby Doo, we have to follow Velma and see if she's okay" Shaggy said.

"Rokay Rhaggy" the Great Dane replied as the cowardly canine followed his master close behind; soon the cowardly pair had followed Velma outside of the tent, and when they finally caught up to her, she had awoken from her trance and was shaking her head; soon, Shaggy and Scooby walked up behind her and tried to speak with her.

"Velma?" Shaggy asked, placing a hand on her shoulder, which caused her to flinch a little; however, once she turned around she saw her two friends standing there and was quite relieved to see them.

"Shaggy, Scooby, what are you guys doing here?" Velma asked.

"Like looking for you of course, what happened Vel? Scooby and I saw you wearing some ringmaster's uniform and acting like a ringmaster" Shaggy replied.

"I was? That's funny, I sure don't remember it, maybe you guys were imagining it" Velma commented, scratching his head as she spoke.

"Like if I was, then Scooby was imagining it too right Scoob?" Shaggy asked, looking towards the canine.

"Reah, re roo" Scooby added.

"Well, let's just forget about it, we have to find that Ghost Clown before he tries any more of his tricks right?" Velma asked.

"Right" Shaggy and Scooby replied.

"Like that reminds me, Velma: where did you learn to be a ringmaster anyway?" Shaggy inquired.

"Umm… what are you talking about Shaggy?" Velma responded.

"Like where did you learn to be a ringmaster and how did you get that outfit?" Shaggy inquired once again.

"Just forget it Shaggy, it was your imagination plain and simple, now come on let's investigate the big top" Velma replied as she walked towards the very tent she had just been inside, albeit in a trance.

"Like we just came from there… oh never mind, come on Scoob" Shaggy remarked.

"Rooby Roo!" the cowardly canine declared as the three of them continued walking towards the tent.

However, while she didn't want Shaggy to know her surprise, yet, secretly she was smiling and somewhere on the circus grounds the Ghost Clown was smiling as well, secretly happy that the young woman had done so well as a ringmaster and was looking forward to his meeting with her later.

As what usually happened with the gang's mysteries, the case wore on, Shaggy was put under a trance to act like a lion tamer, Daphne was put into a trance and ended up on a unicycle, Scooby Doo ended up under a trance as he performed an acrobatic, high wire act, and Fred, Shaggy and Scooby were hypnotized to act like horses as well.

Eventually the gang captured the Ghost Clown and he was unmasked as Harry the Hypnotist, who Mr. Barnstorm explained once had an act with the circus but was sent to prison when he was caught stealing from said circus; the gang then did their usual explanation which this time included the fact that Harry had used a balloon copy of the villain and a few other loose ends.

However, no one quite expected what to make of things when after the gang was finished explaining the case, Velma went up to Mr. Barnstorm and spoke with him about matters of great importance, well matters that Velma wanted to discuss with a certain person and it wasn't any of the gang.

"Mr. Barnstorm, I know this sounds weird but would you mind if I had about 10 minutes alone to speak with the Ghost Clown, or rather Harry the Hypnotist?" Velma asked.

"Hmm… well Velma, he's inside that cage and will be until the police come and pick him up, so I would imagine you would be okay; I guess it would be all right if you spoke to him for ten minutes, if you need anything I'll be looking over my plan for the first show of the season all right?" Mr. Barnstorm asked.

"Sounds good; and Shaggy, can you, Fred, Daphne and Scooby go with Mr. Barnstorm, I need to speak with Harry alone, it's kind of private" Velma replied.

"Okay Velma, if you insist, come on gang" Fred remarked as he led the group of sleuths away from the area with the cage, once Velma made sure the four investigators and the ringmaster were out of sight, Velma began speaking with the person who had helped over come one of the greatest fears in her life.

"Well my child, how did it go with your trance, did you enjoy it?" Harry asked.

"Yes I did, and I can sure understand why a ghost clown had a gold coin, and was able to put people into such deep trances, I mean you would have to be able to be a great hypnotist to do that" Velma replied

"True my dear, and if I do say so, I was great at it; now, what about Shaggy? Was I right? Were you the center of attention?" Harry asked.

"I sure was, Shaggy could barely keep his eyes off me; I think this was great for our relationship" Velma replied.

"Good, good" Harry remarked.

"Mind if I asked you something sir?" Velma inquired.

"Not at all my child, go ahead" Harry replied.

"Well, I was wondering, how did you start with hypnotism and how did you get so good at it?" Velma inquired.

"I will answer your first question first my dear; when I was a boy, around five or six, I saw one of the greatest illusionists of all time: Harry Houdini, he did a hypnotism act during one of his last shows that blew me away, after that I had been interested in hypnotism and I started out doing my act at parties and for friends, then Mr. Barnstorm came to a party where I was performing and liked my act so much, he hired me on the spot" Harry replied.

"Jinkies, you mean you saw Harry Houdini perform live?" Velma asked.

"Yes my dear and he was one of, if not the best illusionists of all time" Harry replied.

"Wow, that must have been pretty exciting, I mean getting to see Harry Houdini in person" Velma remarked.

"It was my dear; now as to your second question, I believe hypnotism can not only be something that can be used for entertainment, but it can also be used to unlock people's memories and to block things out that people don't want to remember" Harry replied.

"Jinkies, you mean like my clown phobia and my thing with wanting to get Shaggy's attention?" Velma asked.

"Right; hypnotism has also been used to help people quit smoking, and depending on the mind of a person, it can be very successful, or a waste of time; take you and your friends for example: your friend with the red hair was fairly simple to hypnotize, as her mind was rather uncomplicated, same with your friend Shaggy and your canine, their minds were easy to take control of" Harry explained.

"I see, what about Fred and I?" Velma asked.

"For your friend with the blond hair, he was a bit more difficult; his mind was a rather strong one and took some time to properly put into a trance; for you my dear, you seem to be a person whose mind is filled with facts and figures, so because of your mind being a rather strong one as well, you were rather difficult to hypnotize" Harry replied.

"But you managed to put me under a trance anyway, how did you do that?" Velma asked.

"Well, even if someone's mind is strong, they can still be hypnotized, you just have to find that one spot that a trance can leak into and that's that" Harry replied.

"Interesting, so how did you find that ringmaster's uniform? And how did you manage to tell me all that stuff about what ringmasters usually do?" Velma inquired.

"Simple, you see the uniform was something I remembered was here from my time here; because this was a small circus, but popular nonetheless, we didn't get much new clothing, so Mr. Barnstorm wore the same outfits for quite a while" Harry explained.

"Like me I suppose, with my sweaters and all?" Velma asked.

"Right; as for knowing what ringmasters do, Mr. Barnstorm spoke with me often when I worked here, and one of those topics was learning about what the duties of a ringmaster are" Harry replied.

"Ah, I see" Velma remarked.

"Now, I have a question for you: is your clown phobia gone? Do you fear clowns?" Harry inquired.

"You know, as a matter of fact, no, I don't fear clowns and I think my phobia is gone; I didn't scream once when I saw you in your makeup" Velma replied.

"Well, then I guess my treatment was a success; however, I understand that something like this might not be as easily solved, so if you need any help at all, just call the prison and ask for my cell and for me, or you can visit me during visitors hours" Harry explained.

"I might just do that sir; and as for Shaggy, I think he really liked me as a ringmaster; I think I might just try and be a ringmaster again, maybe I can speak with Mr. Barnstorm about being an assistant to him on opening night" Velma replied.

"If you wish my dear, and if I may say so, you make a very beautiful ringmaster and I hope Shaggy thinks so too" Harry remarked.

"I hope he does sir; well, I guess I better get going and rejoin my friends, they'll be wondering where I am" Velma replied.

"Good idea Velma, so long and it was nice meeting you, even under these circumstances" Harry remarked.

"Thank you sir, and it was nice to meet you as well" Velma replied as she walked away to join the rest of the gang and Mr. Barnstorm.

Soon Velma found Shaggy and the rest of the gang along with the ringmaster standing around and talking to one another; the young woman then walked up to the ringmaster of the circus, making sure he wasn't speaking to the gang and tapped him on the shoulder; the ringmaster then turned around and saw the young woman standing there and was curious as to why she wanted to speak with him.

"Oh hello Velma, I didn't see you there; what can I do for you?" Mr. Barnstorm asked.

"Well, Mr. Barnstorm, it's kind of private, would you mind if we spoke away from the gang?" Velma inquired.

"Not at all Velma; would you kids excuse us for a few moments?" Mr. Barnstorm asked, looking over at the rest of the gang.

"Sure Mr. Barnstorm" Shaggy replied; with that, Velma and Mr. Barnstorm stepped away from the rest of the group, albeit temporarily to discuss whatever the young woman wanted to discuss.

"Now Velma, what did you want to speak to me about?" Mr. Barnstorm asked.

"Well Mr. Barnstorm, it's kind of strange, but if it's all right with you, I would like to be a ringmaster for your circus, maybe I could be an assistant ringmaster on opening night?" Velma inquired.

"My goodness, that is a rather unusual request, but I suppose you have a good reason for wanting to be a ringmaster?" Mr. Barnstorm asked.

"Well to be honest I want to impress Shaggy, he and I are dating and I want him to pay attention to me" Velma replied.

"Ah, I understand fully the trials and tribulations of love and dating Velma; very well, if you wish to be a ringmaster, you can be an assistant for me for opening night" Mr. Barnstorm remarked.

"Thank you Mr. Barnstorm, thank you; that was very nice of you to let me be a ringmaster" Velma replied.

"You're welcome Velma; now let's go rejoin your friends" Mr. Barnstorm remarked.

With that the ringmaster of the circus and the chestnut haired young woman walked back over to the rest of the gang to wrap up a few loose ends in the case; later the gang returned home, but they would return to the circus the next night, for the grand opening of the season and where Velma was set to give Shaggy one heck of a surprise.

The next day passed rather quickly and soon the light of the sun and the daytime gave way to the night and the opening of Mr. Barnstorm's circus; as the gang settled in their seats, four of the five members of the gang were present to watch the festivities, Shaggy, Scooby, Fred and Daphne, while one certain member of the team was not in the stands to watch, which was the topic of conversation as four of the five members of Mystery Inc. watched the proceeding unfold.

"Velma sure was mysterious about that big surprise she had for us" Fred remarked.

"Like yeah, and it's even more mysterious that she said the surprise was especially for me; I wonder…" Shaggy replied.

"What is it Shaggy?" Daphne inquired.

The red-haired member of the team of sleuths was about to ask Shaggy what he was wondering about, however he was interrupted by the tent's spotlights shined on the center ring and on Mr. Barnstorm who was getting ready to speak to the sellout crowd inside the tent.

"Ladies and gentleman, before I start tonight's proceedings I would like to introduce someone who will be helping me out this evening, an assistant ringmaster if you will; you may recognize her or you may not, but I think you'll like her just the same, without further ado please welcome my apprentice ringmaster for the evening: Velma Dinkley!" Mr. Barnstorm declared as he stepped aside; once he did the gang were surprised to see none other then Velma, wearing the same red ringmaster's outfit, vest, pants and all as she did when she was in a trance during the gang's mystery.

Naturally, Shaggy's eyes opened wide and he stared with his mouth wide open as he watched Velma stand in the center ring and announce some of the attractions for the evening; in between Velma's announcing, she waved at Shaggy and blew him a few kisses, which the cowardly teen easily caught as he smiled at Velma, who looked rather ravishing in her ringmaster outfit.

"Zoinks, Like I can't believe Velma's dressed up like a ringmaster again; I thought she wouldn't do that any more, although she does look pretty cute" Shaggy remarked, smiling as he spoke.

"Again? Shaggy, when was Velma a ringmaster?" Daphne asked.

"It's a long story Daphne, a long story" Shaggy replied; the red head shook her head and left Shaggy to his own thoughts as he continued watching Velma in her ringmaster's outfit.

A few hours later, after the circus performances were finished and the excited crowd left the circus tent after seeing many wonderful acts of all kinds and descriptions, Mr. Barnstorm spoke to Fred, Daphne and Scooby Doo once again, while Shaggy and Velma were discussing things in the now darkened center ring, while the bespectacled young woman of the team was still clad in her ringmaster's gear.

"Wow, like Velma I had no idea you were so good at being a ringmaster, I'm impressed" Shaggy remarked as he hugged the young woman.

"Thanks Shaggy, to tell you the truth, I had some help with it; but if I tell you, you've got to promise not to tell Fred, Daphne, or Scooby, let's just keep it between us okay?" Velma replied with a question of her own.

"Sure; so, how did you get so well at being a ringmaster anyway, what's your secret?" Shaggy asked.

"Well, if you really want to know, the ghost clown or Harry the Hypnotist if you prefer helped me out with my clown phobia, and in addition I told him about you and I and as soon as I mentioned that he offered to make me a star, in this case a ringmaster" Velma replied.

"Ah I get it, so you were under a trance when you were a ringmaster the first time right?" Shaggy asked.

"You got it" Velma responded.

"Funny, I never figured you as being under a trance, and I never knew you were much for being a ringmaster, or being hypnotized" Shaggy replied.

"Well, hypnotism makes you do funny things, things you would never do on your own, like oh, being a lion tamer" Velma responded.

"Yeah, or being a ringmaster; believe me, the Ghost Clown was sure right, you were the center of attention, and you were a star; plus, you sure make me twinkle" Shaggy replied, putting his hand on Velma's shoulder.

"Thanks Shaggy, you're a pretty nice guy yourself" Velma remarked, putting a hand on Shaggy's shoulder, before kissing him on the cheek.

"You're welcome Velma" Shaggy replied.

Meanwhile, a certain cowardly Great Dane made his way over from Fred, Daphne and Mr. Barnstorm to where Shaggy and Velma were standing, and wouldn't you know it Scooby saw Shaggy and Velma smiling at each other, looking like quite the couple.

"_Raww… rooks rike Rhaggy and Relma really rike each other; rand Rhaggy's right about one thing, Relma roes rake a reat Ringmaster"_ Scooby remarked to himself as he watched the two lovebirds.

Later, after Velma had given the ringmaster's uniform back to Mr. Barnstorm, the ringmaster of the circus spoke to Velma once again, away from prying eyes and the rest of the gang.

"So Velma, what did you think of being a ringmaster? Or an apprentice ringmaster as the case may be?" Mr. Barnstorm asked.

"Groovy Mr. Barnstorm, definitely groovy; and you know I wouldn't mind being a ringmaster more often, partly because Shaggy likes my outfit so much" Velma replied.

"Well, if you really like the outfit, you can keep it for Halloween if you would like" Mr. Barnstorm explained.

"Gosh Mr. Barnstorm, thank you; but don't you need it?" Velma asked.

"No, not really; I have several ringmaster's outfits, so I don't really need that one, you can keep it if you would like" Mr. Barnstorm replied.

"Wow, thank you Mr. Barnstorm, I will keep it and thanks" Velma remarked; Mr. Barnstorm then smiled at the bespectacled young woman as she walked back to the rest of the gang, who were back at the Mystery Machine; once Velma and the rest of the gang waved goodbye to Mr. Barnstorm, Fred started up the van and Scooby and friends headed for home, after solving one of the strangest mysteries of their short careers.

However, one thing was for sure, Shaggy and Velma's relationship was sure going to be different, now that Velma had a ringmaster's outfit, which she dreamed about wearing on every Halloween for a long, long time; not to mention Shaggy was quite a fan of Velma the ringmaster, as every Halloween she did wear the costume for a party or event Shaggy didn't leave her side for one minute.

This all made perfect sense of course, or about as much sense as four teens driving around in a psychedelically painted van with a talking Great Dane solving ghostly mysteries would make, however all of this was true, such as the lives and trials and tribulations of Scooby Doo, and the rest of his meddling friends, Shaggy, Velma, Fred and Daphne.

Author's Notes: Hopefully everybody enjoyed reading this as much as I enjoyed writing it; thanks for reading and I am going to continue writing as much as possible in the future.


End file.
